Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

$19.99 AUD

Category: Australian

'Dark Emu injects a profound authenticity into the conversation about how we Australians understand our continent ... [It is] essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what Australia once was, or what it might yet be if we heed the lessons of long and sophisticated human occupation.' Jud ges for 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating, and storing -- behaviours inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag. Gerritsen and Gammage in their latest books support this premise but Pascoe takes this further and challenges the hunter-gatherer tag as a convenient lie. Almost all the evidence in Dark Emu comes from the records and diaries of the Australian explorers, impeccable sources.   Bruce's comments on his book compared to Gammage's: " My book is about food production, housing construction and clothing, whereas Gammage was interested in the appearance of the country at contact. [Gammage] doesn't contest hunter gatherer labels either, whereas that is at the centre of my argument." ...Show more

Back Roads by Heather Ewart; Karen Michelmore (As told to)

$32.99 AUD

Category: Australian

A road trip around Australia, discovering towns and communities outside the mainstream - and the colourful inhabitants whose grit and humour will uplift and inspire you. Discover the resilient and inspiring people who live outside big Australian cities - and indeed off the beaten track altogether. Defi ned by their strength and humility, these are characters whose grit and good humour will uplift and inspire. Based on the successful series hosted by Heather Ewart, Back Roads dives deeper to learn more about these wonderful communities and deliver fresh and compelling stories. 'They're proud communities like my hometown, full of surprises, fight and spirit', says Heather. Take, for example, Joan Sinclair, 83, horse & cattlewoman and outback legend, who featured in the first episode of series 3. The video of this feisty woman went viral on Facebook and has clocked up 1.3 million views. The show featured a wealth of characters and places, and the book will take you further into their lives. From strong women like Joan Sinclair, Heather Jones of the company Heavy Haulage Girls, and Dianne Reeves, transgender former dairy farmer, shearer and truck driver, to historic places - such as Pine Creek, built on the sweat of Chinese workers, and Maralinga, the only place in the world where you can stand on the site of an atomic bomb test - Back Roads will transport you from your city doorstep and show you what lies beyond in this land of surprise and determination. ...Show more

Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia by Marcia Langton by Marcia Langton

$39.99 AUD

Category: Australian

Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country is a curated guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. In its pages, respected Elder and author Professor Marcia Langton offers fascinating insights into Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cultural awareness and etiquette for visitors. There is also a directory of Indigenous tourism experiences, organised by state or territory, covering galleries and festivals, national parks and museums, communities that are open to visitors, as well as tours and performances. This book is essential for anyone travelling around Australia who wants to learn more about the culture that has thrived here for over 50,000 years. It also offers the chance to enjoy tourism opportunities that will show you a different side of this fascinating country -- one that remains dynamic, and is filled with openness and diversity. ...Show more

The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover

$29.99 AUD

Category: Australian

'It was a simpler time'. We had more fun back then'. 'Everyone could afford a house'. There's plenty of nostalgia right now for the Australia of the past, but what was it really like? In The Land Before Avocado, Richard Glover takes a journey to an almost unrecognisable Australia. It's a vivid portrait of a quite peculiar land: a place that is scary and weird, dangerous and incomprehensible, and, now and then, surprisingly appealing. It's the Australia of his childhood. The Australia of the late '60s and early '70s. Let's break the news now: they didn't have avocado. It's a place of funny clothing and food that was appalling, but amusingly so. It also the land of staggeringly awful attitudes - often enshrined in law - towards anybody who didn't fit in. The Land Before Avocado will make you laugh and cry, be angry and inspired. And leave you wondering how bizarre things were, not so long ago. Most of all it will make you realise how far we've come - and how much further we can go. ...Show more

You Daughters of Freedom: The Australians Who Won the Vote and Inspired the World by Clare Wright

$49.99 AUD

Category: Australian | Series: Democracy Trilogy Ser.

For the ten years from 1902, when Australia's suffrage campaigners won the vote for white women, the world looked to this trailblazing young democracy for inspiration. Clare Wright's epic new history tells the story of that victory--and of Australia's role in the subsequent international struggle--thro ugh the eyes of five remarkable players: the redoubtable Vida Goldstein, the flamboyant Nellie Martel, indomitable Dora Montefiore, daring Muriel Matters, and artist Dora Meeson Coates, who painted the controversial Australian banner carried in the British suffragettes' monster marches of 1908 and 1911. Clare Wright's Stella Prize-winning The Forgotten Rebels of Eurekaretold one of Australia's foundation stories from a fresh new perspective. With You Daughters of Freedomshe brings to life a time when Australian democracy was the envy of the world--and the standard bearer for progress in a shining new century. Dr Clare Wrightis an award-winning historian and author who has worked as an academic, political speechwriter, historical consultant and radio and television broadcaster. Her most recent book, The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka, won the 2014 Stella Prize and the 2014 NIB Award for Literature and was shortlisted for many other awards. 'You Daughters of Freedombrings some forgotten women into the public discourse again, and we are all the richer for it.' Australian 'A celebration of leadership, inspiration, education and sheer individual cheek.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Clare Wright's You Daughters of Freedomis the uplifting story of a time Australia led the world in including women in our democratic project. It is a reminder of our proud legacy and a clarion call for who we can be.' Penny Wong 'The essential story of our greatest reformers, and one of our proudest achievements as a nation.' George Megalogenis 'A thrilling tale, superbly told, of brave Australian women with a passion for politics.' Judith Brett 'A rare achievement. Grand, bold and brilliantly written.' Mark McKenna 'This book will be brilliant.' Annabel Crabb, Chat 10 Looks 3 'One of the country's most accomplished story-tellers relates Australian women's fight for the vote in all of its passion, intensity and drama.' Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, ANU 'You Daughters of Freedomrelates with sparkle and wit the largely untold story of the trailblazing women who not only dragged recalcitrant male leaders into the new century and won the right to vote but also were at the forefront of the struggle for women's enfranchisement internationally.' Inside Story 'Her story of Australian suffragists winning the vote and then running for parliament in 1903 should be required reading in this time of angst over the 'women problem' in the federal Liberal Party.' Weekend Australian Magazine ...Show more

The Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers by Barry Stone

$29.99 AUD

Category: Australian | Reading Level: 4 Non Fiction

For the early settlers who came from crowded cities and long established villages, it must have been extraordinary to find you could pack your belongings onto a bullock dray and head off to rural grasslands out of the reach of meddlesome authorities. They could just mark out a parcel of land, bring in s heep or cattle, and build a future. Some made their fortunes, others failed through drought, poor land, or bad management. Those who succeeded built vast pastoral empires running tens of thousands of head of stock, providing meat for the voracious growing colony and wool for export to England. These squatters became a bush aristocracy, with all the trappings. Families dined in gilded dining rooms with black servants waiting on them, dance halls were built in small communities, and grazing families intermarried to maintain control of property. Some even had their own artillery batteries, in case the workers revolted. These were the "kings in grass castles" and it was a time of big dreams. Barry Stone tells stories of the men and women fanned across Australia across the 19th century and created a rural establishment that contributed more than any other segment of society to the growth of a prosperous nation. ...Show more

Suburbia: The Familiar and Forgotten by Warren Kirk

$39.99 AUD

Category: Australian

The sentiment that flows through these images is a balm to the knowledge that time is passing and things will change -- William McInnes. Warren Kirk's photos will strike a chord with anyone who's grown up in the Australian suburbs in the past 50 years. Somehow both achingly familiar and unimaginab ly strange, these luminous images continue his 30-year project of documenting a way of life that is slowly disappearing, along with the people who lived it. Taken with loving attention and considerable skill, and with the utmost respect for the people and places that appear in them, Kirk's photos of shops and houses, of gardens and lounge-rooms, of people surrounded by the things they love, are beautifully evocative and powerfully nostalgic. ...Show more

Behind the Wheel Photographs from the Australian Road by Ian Kenins

$39.95 AUD

Category: Australian

Photographs of life on and along the Australian road. Includes a foreword and four written essays relating to driving Australian roads.

Top Walks in Victoria by Melanie Ball

$34.99 AUD

Category: Australian

Victoria offers a jaw-dropping diversity of bushwalks through areas rich in natural wonders and colourful human history. Experienced travel writer Melanie Ball has hiked every track in this book for walkers of all levels of experience. There are walks for each part of the state, including the renowned W ilsons Promontory Lighthouse loop and salt lake circuits in the Mallee region. Most of the tracks can be completed in a few hours, but there are some more difficult multi-day walks for those wanting more of a challenge. For each walk there is detailed trail information, a map, photographs and beautiful illustrations of fauna and flora that you're likely to see along the way. ...Show more

The Balfour Correspondent by JAMES DRYBURGH

$39.95 AUD

Category: Australian

Australia the Photographer's Eye 3rd Ed by Nick Rains

$39.99 AUD

Category: Australian

Award-winning photographer Nick Rains travels Australia with his camera, capturing the country's diverse landscapes and many moods. With this third edition, including two brand-new touring regions, outback New South Wales and north-west Tasmania. Australia The Photographer's Eye displays Rains's stunnin g images of over 30 regions around the country. For each region there's also touring information and a map that pinpoints the best spots from which to capture your own images. In the photo tips section at the back of the book, Rains shares his knowledge of photography, discussing the techniques and skills he has gained over many years, and clearly explains how to successfully photograph landscapes from small-detail shots through to panoramas. ...Show more

From Roadside to Recovery The Story of the Victorian State Accident Commision by Peter Bragge & Russell Gruen

$29.95 AUD

Category: Australian | Series: Monash Studies in Australian Society Ser.

In 1969 car crashes killed over 1000 Victorians, making Victoria's roads some of the world's most deadly. By 2016, the fatality rate had been cut by 85% and Victorians are now taking seriously the goal of eliminating death on the roads altogether.This extraordinary achievement is the product of sustaine d and ground-breaking approaches to preventing injury, saving lives and optimising recovery. Beginning with the world's first seatbelt legislation in 1970, Victorians repeatedly charted new territory in health and public policy. In 2001 the system to care for severely injured people received a major overhaul. The new Victorian State Trauma System halved the risk anyone injured would die, and became the envy of the world. From Roadside to Recovery is the story of the evolution, implementation and impact of the Victorian State Trauma System, and those who championed it. It is a story of vision, leadership, determination, and achievement, about which there is much to celebrate. As road trauma is now one of the world's leading causes of death there is also much to learn from it. For those who care about making a difference, this story will guide and inspire - showing what is possible when a community is determined to address the tragedy and cost of road trauma. ...Show more